Sword and shield. (Clinton, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1887-02-26

unu sun. q ram ana STORM anu mlsrI LIS
ten, all things must live and dieL Listen. all
dead things that must live to die again! Lis
ten, the spirit Of life is in me and | prophe-
syr'
The words died away in a faint wall, and
terror seemed to seize upon the hearts OF all
who heard them, includin5 ourselves. The
old woman was very terrible.
"Blo0di blood! blood! rivers of blood;
blood everywhere / see it, l smell it,
taste tit is salt; it runs red upon the
ground, it rains down from the skies
Footsteps! footsteps! footsteps! the
tread of the white man comes from afar 1t
shakes the earth; the earth trem5les before
her master.
blood is good, the red blood is bright;
there is no smell like the smell Of new-shed
blood. The lions shall lap it and roar, the
vultures shall wash their wings in it, and
shrek with JOY.
Il am Old! am old! / have seen much
blood; ha, ha but shall see more ere l die,
and be merry How old am l. think We.
Your fathers knew me, and their fathers
knew me- and their fathers fathers. | have
seen the white man, and know lis desires.
am old, but the mountains are older than
l. Who made the great road, tell me? Who
wrote i'll pictures on the rocks tell inc? Who
reared up the three silent ones yonder, who
gaze across the pit. tell me?2 (And She point
ed teWard the three preciptous mountains
we had noticed on the previous night)
.'Ye know not, but know. 1t was a white
people who were before We are, who Shall be
when We are not who shall eat ye up, and
destroy We. Yea! yea! yea!
And what came they for, the white ones
the terrible ones, the skilled in magic and al
learning, the strong, the answering? What
is that bright stone upon thy forehead, Q
king? Whose hands made the iron gar
ments upon thy breast, . king? Ye know
not, but [ know. the old one, | the wise
one, the isanusi" witch doctress).
Then she turned her bald vultUra head to-
ward us.
"What seek ye, white men Of the stars
ah. yes. Of the stars? Do We seek lost one.
/ Ye shall not lind him here. lie is not here
/ Never for ages upon ages has white foo
pressed this land, never but once, and he lef
i it but to die. Ye come for bright stones; "
/ shall find them when the blood is dry; bu
shall sc return from whence ye came, ol
i shall ye stop with me? Ha? ha! hal
'tAnd thou, thou with the dark skin anC
proud bearing" (pointing her skinny tnge
at Umbopa). who art thou and what seekes
thou? Not stones that shine, not yellow meta
that CLEANS; that thou leayest to whit
men from the stars Methinks | know thee
methinks | can smell the smell Of the blo0'
in thy veins, Strip the girdle-"
Here the features Of this eXtraOrdinar.
creature became conyuIsed, ard she fel
! to the ground foaming in an epileptic iii
and was carried off into the hut.
The king rose up trembling and waved hi
hand. Instantly the regiments began to i'll
oil and in ten minutes, save for ourselves
the lling, ana few attendants, the grea
space vas left clear.
"Wa,te people, he said, ''it passes in m.
mind to lziA ye. Glgo3l has spoken strang
words What y ye99'
laughed. Use careful, D king, we ar
not So easy 10 s!ay. Thou has seen the fat
Of the oX: w9uidst thou be as tie oX?'
The kim lrovued. "It is not wei t
threaten q king.
I'VE tareatan nos We soeiE Waat is true
Try to I1ill uS, D kine! ami learn.
PIE great lnsn put hls hand to Ills re
head
e, IL pa4 Il, sail At length TO
night Is ,be raa. laac. ~ Shall see il
Fear not tl.s saa.t srta SNARE for sit. Tc
morrow slal tanN.
slt is wen. D king" IanSWersd uncon
cernediy, ani taeA. accompanied bY lnfa
docs, we rose, ana went baea 70 our kEaal.